Message from the Chair

Summertime!

By Matt Seib

It’s summer. That means summer vacation! At least for my four and eight year-old. One of the activities that will likely consume a lot of our time is fishing. My older son in particular is on a mission to catch bass. All of them in fact.

Thinking about my upcoming fishing endeavors also brings a deep sense of thankfulness for our industry. In many cases, stories like the Cuyahoga River catching fire or lakes dead from eutrophication have been relegated to legend rather than reality. When I think about taking my kids fishing or going to the beach or just mucking around in the local stream I give little thought to the possibility of those waters being unsafe for use or detrimental to the ecosystem. This historical shift is largely due to the fact that as an industry we have no summer vacation. The continuous effort of past and current generations of water professionals is a big part of what makes everyone’s summer something to look forward to. I’m thankful for you all. 

Looking beyond my fishing plans, there’s also plenty of upcoming section and association events to get involved with this summer. CSWEA CSX 2026 is July 23 and 24 in Wisconsin Dells, which is a great event to get engaged with the association overall. The Northwoods Collection Seminar is July 30 in Marshfield and the Industrial Pre-treatment Seminar is August 11 in Weston. Also on August 11-12 is the Management Seminar, which will be in West Bend. The YP Brewers Outing Game and summer section meeting will be September 9 in Milwaukee. Check the CSWEA website for more info on these events.
 
Lastly, I’d like to encourage folks to get involved with a committee. This is a great way to get connected with others and contribute to our industry in different ways. It’s also a great opportunity to help recognize the work of others or be recognized yourself as many of the annual association and WEF awards come from committees.
 
Have a great summer and I look forward to seeing some of you at our upcoming events later this year.